Controlla
A dancehall single from Views that charted in Canada, the UK, and the US.
"Controlla" is a song by Canadian rapper Drake, recorded for his fourth studio album Views. The dancehall song was released as the fourth single from the album in the US on June 7, 2016. It was written by Drake, Matthew Samuels, Dwayne Chin-Quee, Stephen McGregor, Moses Davis, and produced by Boi-1da, Supa Dups, Di Genius, and Allen Ritter. The song reached number 27 in Canada, number 18 in the UK, and number 16 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Pitchfork listed "Controlla" on their ranking of the 100 best songs of 2016 at number 62.
- Artist
- Drake
- Status
- Released
Lore & Background
Prior to the album's release, "Controlla" was one of two tracks from Views leaked online. The leaked version featured dancehall artist Popcaan. The song was still included on the album without Popcaan's contributions and an additional Drake verse plus a Beenie Man sample. "Controlla" was the second dancehall single to be released from Views, along with "One Dance" and "Too Good". The track contains samples of "Tear Off Mi Garment" performed by Beenie Man, though sources compared the song to Rihanna's "Work", the same track Drake was featured on.
In Their Own Story
The song was written by Drake, Matthew Samuels, Allen Ritter, Dwayne Chin-Quee, Stephen McGregor, Moses Davis, Donald Dennis, Gary Jackson, Patrick Roberts, Andrew Thomas, and produced by Boi-1da, Supa Dups, and Charles "Jamandass da Terminator" Omondi. In addition to Drake's lead vocals, the track contains samples of "Tear Off Mi Garment" performed by Beenie Man.
Reader's Guide
"Controlla" was released as the fourth single from Views in the US on June 7, 2016. It reached number 27 in Canada, number 18 in the UK, and number 16 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Pitchfork listed "Controlla" on their ranking of the 100 best songs of 2016 at number 62. The song was one of two tracks from Views leaked online prior to the album's release, with the leaked version featuring Popcaan. The final album version excluded Popcaan and added an additional Drake verse plus a Beenie Man sample.
Did You Know?
- "Controlla" was released as the fourth single from Views in the US on June 7, 2016.
- The song reached number 16 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
- Pitchfork ranked "Controlla" number 62 on their list of the 100 best songs of 2016.
- A leaked version of the song featured dancehall artist Popcaan, but the album version replaced his contributions with an additional Drake verse and a Beenie Man sample.
- The track contains a sample of "Tear Off Mi Garment" performed by Beenie Man.
More in Discography & Timeline
Elsewhere in the Drake universe
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